The backdrop of David Stoecklein’s art was the big sky of the American West, and some of his favorite subjects were the cowboys who make their living there.
The noted photographer, who lived in Ketchum, Idaho, died of cancer on Nov. 10. He was 65.
Mr. Stoecklein grew up in Fox Chapel, and became interested in photography at an early age. He headed west to California in his 20s to pursue a career as a professional photographer.
He loved skiing and his early work was mostly outdoor lifestyle shots — skiing, fly fishing and biking — which led to assignments with Ski Magazine, LL Bean, Reebok and Timberland. That opened the door for a long and successful career in advertising, shooting images for ads for Jeep, Marlboro, Stetson, Coke and Chevy.
He then moved on to what would become a life-long passion — photographing the people and iconic landscapes of the western states. The result is a massive portfolio of work that documents and celebrates the classic American West — vivid, colorful and evocative images of cowboys and cowgirls, horses, landscapes, farming and ranching.
“I became so enamored with the Western way of life that I started to spend every free moment I had learning more about horses and cowboys,” he told the Idaho Statesman.
Mr. Stoecklein’s images have graced magazines and trade journals. He published several books, including “Cowboy Gear: A Photographic Portrayal of the Early Cowboys and Their Equipment ” — photographs of present-day cowboys posed with vintage 19th-century gear and artifacts. He did the photographs for James Owen’s book “Cowboy Ethics: What Wall Street Can Learn From The Code Of The West.”
“As one of the greatest Western photographers of our time, his work promoted the ranching lifestyle, helped preserve a unique culture and shaped the image of the modern American cowboy,” wrote his photographer colleague Ross Hecox in Western Horseman magazine.
He liked to shoot early in the morning and late in the day, when the light was the best. “He did everything with natural lighting. He was always an outdoor photographer” and did very little work in the studio, said his brother, Walter Stoecklein.
Mr. Stoecklein was a member of Canon’s Explorers of Light — an educational initiative in which a group of master photographers share their expertise with others interested in learning more about the art and craft of photography through workshops and lectures.
In recent years, he conducted his own photography seminars, which his sons helped him with and plan to continue.
In addition to his brother Walter, of Dorseyville, he is survived by his wife Mary and three sons: Drew of Bozeman, Montana, Taylor of Sun Valley and Colby of Boise, Idaho, a brother Buzzy of East Pittsburgh and sisters Julie Stoecklein of Hampton and Debbie Carroll of Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Mr. Stoecklein’s family has established an educational foundation that will provide scholarships to photography students and aid to cowboys in need. Donations can be made to: David. R. Stoecklein Memorial and Educational Foundation, c/o Attorney Brian Barsotti, P.O. Box 370, Ketchum, Idaho 83340.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring.